Goodbye to Glass Slippers
by InnocentDiamond
Summary: Invitations to Winter Ball led him to find true love and her to experience true freedom, but all that ended when midnight struck and shattered this dream. These glass slippers now have a mind of their own, and this girl won't stay loyal to her godmother forever anymore.


**Me: 15th story, here we are! Winter Ball is _still_ not over.**

**Marucho: Amazing how you wrote this in..._six_ hours.**

**Me: Well, not really six. I typed the beginning in the car, and the rest during restroom breaks and food sessions. I don't usually do this, but I'll do the responses to the reviews on Hearts at Unrest's finale.  
**

MagicxMusicxMelody - Sequel, maybe not. But for me, I probably write a prequel on how the House came to place. Just won't be anytime soon, though. Don't count on it. ._.

Cup of Violet Tea - I've probably done sadder goodbyes, but there were a lot of tears in that chapter. And here's the Cinderella story that you've been expecting!

CookieDecor22 - Oh yeah! Time slowed down just for the two to get back together! I actually forgot that this was less than 24 or even 12 hours. Thanks for reminding me! An "assist the four people" thing sounds nice, but I don't guarantee.

Sugar Spice Rush - Thanks for searching it up! I'm actually using Serpent Flame for something else. Usually, if I go on tangents like Palm of Zoroaster, there's no definite story continuation line.

RosesOfTruth - I just got pressured to do maybe a prequel, sequel, or even a spin-off, but I've never done any. And even if I do, it'll probably be a long time from now.

Cherry-Tree - Feels like everyone's asking me for a sequel, but I don't want to work on that subject until some other time.

**Me: Kind of all over the place here since it's Curse of Briar Rose (BOTB), Exiled Prince (EU), Rise of the Snow Queen, Red Riding Hood Sisters, and _then_ Final Cinderella (GTGS). I actually have ideas for Rise of the Snow Queen and RRH Sisters, but focused on Final Cinderella instead.**

**Runo: I know you said this story isn't like Cinderella, but they're both still similar.**

**Julie: Either way, you're still doing this out of OCD. If you go in order, it's OCD. If you insist on publishing on Winter Ball night, it's OCD.**

**Me: I get it! This'll still be like Cinderella because of Final Cinderella, but it gets really, _really_ dark. As in the supernatural kind of dark.**

**Marucho: Sharon doesn't own Bakugan or Dark Parables - Final Cinderella!**

**Me: Well, I _bought_ the game, so I technically _own_ it, but...ah, whatever.**

* * *

**Chapter 1: One Fateful Night  
**

**xXx**

_Cinderella..._

_Always the pitiful girl who got picked on by her stepmother and stepsisters._

_Always the obedient girl who did what she's told without questioning._

_Always the purest girl who never desired anything else beyond her daily needs._

_And always the cursed girl who suffered this underserved fate for generations._

_One person's curse is another's desire._

_But this centuries-long line of tragedy has to end here._

_Now._

**~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~**

It's been almost an hour since Winter Ball started, but everyone was still lively and full of energy as if the dance just started. Invitations were mailed to a long list of people, but only a small fraction of the invited people arrived. Why so little? Not sure. None of the guests would've cared anyway. Besides, less guests meant more food for themselves.

"Alice! I can't believe you're here!" A silver-haired girl ran over to her redhead friend. "You never come to Winter Ball. What changed your mind this time?"

"Originally, my aunt wanted me to stay home, but she had to work overtime last minute and said I could come." She grabbed and waved the skirt of her dress gently. "That's why my attire looks last minute. I wasn't expecting this. Definitely violates your code fo dress, right Julie?"

"Come on! It's a special case. I'll let it go _just_ this once."

"Alice, is that you?!" Another girl ran over as she tried to keep her blue twintails from flying. "You look so different! Did you curl your hair? What make up are you using? Where did you get this dress?"

"And I thought I was the obsessed fashion addict." Julie muttered.

"I only washed and blow-dried my hair and used rouge and soft lipstick for make up. The dress is borrowed. Anyway, why are you all so interested that came to Winter Ball today? I've been to other dances before."

"A _long _time ago." Runo complained. "And those dances were simple ones that our community held, like a we-love-our-neighbors thing. _This_ is someone else's private party. Even _Dan_ came."

"You're not serious, are you?" Julie asked.

"_Very_ serious is the term. I think I saw Ace introducing Mira to some of his friends. That's why she's occupied and not with us."

"I saw Chan earlier but don't know where she is now."

"I thought I saw some guy spill liquids on her dress. She's probably washing her dress in the bathroom." Runo shook her head and clicked her tongue. "I feel bad for her."

"Now that's _terrible_ timing. Club soda usually removes stains." Julie saw a waiter and grabbed three glasses of cider of the tray. "I hope you don't mind that I take these. Runo, Alice, a glass for each of you."

"Thanks, Julie."

"What is this?" Alice titled the glass around. "I hope it's not-"

"It's not alcohol. It's apple cider." Julie laid an arm on Alice shoulder and explained, "Alice, it's _okay_ to break the rules once in a while. No one's counting except you."

"Technically, we're still underage by a year."

"Oh, come on! Where's your party spirit? You should have fun."

"First of all, Julie. This is not a _party_. It is a formal ball." Even Alice couldn't help but bring a few laughs into her argument. "Second of all, I don't think I can bear to live with the guilt of drinking before I'm of legal age. Runo, say something!"

"I actually agree with Alice about drinking, but agree with Julie more about partying. Alice, you haven't been to an event like this in ages. Have fun, as Julie says. Besides, remember what Chan did during Thanksgiving Ball? She actually argued with Joe in front of everyone about whether a man or woman should cut the turkey."

"_That_ was the most ridiculous yet most enjoyable argument I've ever seen. And they completely ignored the waiter or waitress who was originally supposed to cut it!"

"I'm pretty sure that's why they argued in the first place..."

"Oh. Yeah. Makes sense now." Julie noticed Alice looking the other way and tapped her shoulder. "Alice, you want to find Dan and the others with us?"

"Sure, I'd-" Suddenly she froze at a thought and shook her head. "Sorry, I can't. When there are too many people, I-"

"It's okay." Runo answered. "You can always come by whenever you want. See you later."

"Oh, and you need to get a boyfriend soon. I'll introduce people to you after I've verified which of Dan's friends meet the criteria." Julie added.

"Bye! And Julie, don't waste your time." By then, Julie was long gone. Alice stared at the glass of sparkling yellow apple cider, tinted with a slight shade of red that her keen eyes noticed immediately. She sniffed the cider and noticed a rosy fragrance to it. Only a tiny sip touched her tongue and went down her mouth. _It's sweet...too sweet. And it smells like roses. I shouldn't be drinking or near this at all._

She looked over her shoulder in the same direction she was staring at earlier for a moment and went to throw the cider away.

**~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~**

"This is your best chance as finding your future wife."

"That's so dramatic and discouraging."

Dan and Shun couldn't reach equal terms on how attending Winter Ball was beneficial. Dan was here because all his friends and girlfriend were here. Shun was here because Dan dragged him here. Because of the importance and reputation of his family and background, Shun had been through numerous blind dates set up by his mother that he's literally tired of girls. Of course, not including his female friends.

"Dan!" Runo came over with Julie and gave him a hug. "Billy, Ace, Mira, Shun. Nice to see you all. Mira, how do you like it here so far?"

"It's nice. I had no idea that someone would have the time to plan such a huge dance with intentions of inviting at hundred of people. But like what Ace said, about slightly more than a hundred came. Do you know who's hosting this?"

"The invitation only said the time, day, address, attire, and food for the night. No names other than ours." Ace replied. "Shun, when are you going to bring a lady friend over to Winter Ball?"

"Oh!" Billy suddenly smacked his head. "You know, every time each of us starting dating, the first dance that we attended together is always Winter Ball. Julie and I were last year, Runo and Dan the year before..."

"Mira and Ace this year." Dan concluded. "And if all goes well, we'll be expecting _someone_ over there to be _not_ single by next year's Winter Ball, even if it's a year away."

"Forget you. I'm leaving." Shun argued.

"And before you leave, can you drink this cider for me? It's so tangy that it makes me feel like vomiting."

"Whatever." Already having an untouched glass of apple cider in one hand, Shun walked over and took Dan's, which was just as full as when he grabbed it over a waiter's tray. _Waste of good food._ He drank Dan's glass and held onto his untouched glass. _This __**is**__ really tangy, but not to the point of throwing up._

After finishing the last drops, he placed the empty glass on a tray at the side table for empty glasses and accidentally knocked over some other glass of cider. "Darn it! I'm so sorry for spilling that, Miss. Here. You can have mine. I didn't drink it-"

"It's okay. I didn't want to drink it anyway." The girl looked over at the toppled beverage glass and then the boy next to her, brushing her red hair aside. "Actually, I _shouldn't_ be drinking it. At least the tablecloth's waterproof."

Something about her was different. _Never have I seen a girl so straight-forward. Runo and other girls might frustrate over how to fix a simple mess, but she treated it like nothing._ But it wasn't the fact that she acted indifferently that drew him in. "Actually, being waterproof might be a bad things because the liquid just sits there."

"At least you don't have to wash it in a washer." She grabbed a few napkin and soaked the spill. "You don't have to worry about the mess. I'll take care of it."

"You sure?"

"I'm sure. Go back and have fun."

_She's really different. _As Shun watched her clean up the mess, a man at the stair balcony resounded the bell and made an announcement. "Now is the hour in which we will switch out the appetizers for dessert. Enjoy this music as we change the dishes."

"Great! Time to dance!" Dan called to Shun from the fountain, "Sorry man. You can't join us if you don't have a dance partner."

"Alice, I left my makeup bag at the roast pork table. Can you watch it for me?" Runo asked.

"Yeah, Dan. Like I care."

"I see it, Runo. I'll give it to you later."

Shun put his glass in a corner that wasn't easily seen, and Alice walked over to ther oast pork to pick up Runo's makeup bag. After watching her for a moment longer, he asked, "Can I have this dance?"

"D-Dance?" Alice tightened her grip on the makeup bag. "I don't know..."

"Is it because you don't know me well that you don't want to? That was Runo who called you, right? He's my best friend's girlfriend. I guess we're not that unfamiliar at all. I'm surprised that despite we haven't met despite our mutual friends."

"I know, but still. I don't think I should." After a long silence, Alice asked, "Why me?"

"Because you look lonely."

Alice tensed.

"And that...you're _different_."

Then she froze.

"Well?"

She blinked her eyes for a while and shrugged, offering her unoccupied hand to him. "I guess it wouldn't hurt to have just _one_ dance..."

Little did they know that they were being watched by a woman from the stair balcony the whole time.

**~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~**

Despite having mutual friends, Shun and Alice were rather different, but both had similar stories.

"You're saying that I'm different compared to the girls your mother tries to match you up with?"

"Sort of, because when I met them, they already had a purpose in mind of making an impression on me. You, however..." Shun looked down and chucked. "looked like you're trying to get me out."

"Was I? That mess really wasn't your fault."

"Why do you keep saying that?" Although they both were moving as they danced, Alice's body stiffened on the inside. "I admire your code of responsibility, but you shouldn't be responsible for what others do. That only does you no good."

She shrugged her shoulders. "But I put that glass there, and you happened to come by. It's not about responsibility. It's about what happened first. Also, what make you think I was lonely? I could've been there just for a moment."

"The way you speak said otherwise."

Alice bit her lip. "I'm not good at lying, am I?"

"I wouldn't know. You don't look like the type of person who would lie, maybe not even a white lie. Of course, I just met you..." Shun's voice started trailing off. "but...I don't know how to say it."

"It's okay. I'm not much of a social person, but if given a choice, I wouldn't mind being around you."

"Same here." Shun chuckled to her giggles. "If my mom gave me a choice, I certainly would choose you over those other girls."

Alice froze for the third time tonight.

"For real. I'm serious."

She faced away from Shun. "As much as I don't want to say it, I don't think you have much choice."

"I know. If my mom knew that her method doesn't work, then I'd be able to fall in love with someone freely at my own will."

Alice ached at the thought what he said but had her eyes fixed on the stair balcony. "Neither do I."

"What?" After that, a dark shadow flew past the ceiling of the mansion. "Dang. What was that?"

"It's her." Alice held Shun's hand tightly and quivered. "The absolute reason why we don't have a choice."

"Is it really that difficult to love someone?" he asked, his voice gradually softening.

She stared into his amber eyes _and_ at the woman on the balcony. "As difficult as getting freedom for self for once."

* * *

**Me: I think this will be a very wordy story with each standard chapter at least 2,000 words.  
**

**Dan: Dang!**

**Runo: Love at first sight!**

**Marucho: Correction - freedom at first chance.**

**Me: Now that's famous quote material there! I apologize for Alice's OOC behavior, but if you think about the "prologue" I had in the beginning, it'd make more sense.**

**Dan: Same goes for Shun.**

**Me: Does not! Will you stop invading people's lives?**

**Dan: Hey. His mom has issues, and-**

**Shun: Did you just say my mom has issues?**

**Dan: Uh... *weak laughter***

**Me: Yeah...was kind of expecting this. Leave a review and tell me what you think! Got to get back to the dance~  
**


End file.
